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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Poodle Plan

I will admit that just as much as I love running agility...I equally love getting good photography of my dogs running agility! This past weekend's trial even moreso because I had just clipped leg bracelets on Perri - a fun new grooming experiment that I am loving! And I was excited to get some photos of her in her new haircut. Rich Knecht Photography never disappoints!

All confidence charging up the dog walk!

She's getting reaaaaaal close to gettin' air over the top!

Perri has an appointment with an opthamologist next Thursday. And each morning this week, I gave her a Composure and I truly feel as though we are seeing a difference. I will continue this daily for a month, give it a try, along with continued behavioral training to work on her reactivity towards other dogs.

Monday was the first day. When I got home from work I set up the weaves and we had a really fun and successful (though short!) training session alternating with snow pounce games. I am looking forwards to the snow melting around here so we can do some more fun proofing exercises at the park. Then agility class at our training center, no weave faulting even when I asked our instructor to stand right at the end of the weaves - and a happy poodle on the course besides that.

Today in particular a dramatic difference was seen. Each Wednesday, Perri spends the day at work with a good friend of ours. Two weeks ago Perri was ill at ease in the same setting, curled in a tight ball on the office dog bed and alert barking all day long at things she would not have even noticed a month ago. She also had a very intense reactive episode towards a young boxer on her lunch time walk. She obsessively drank obscene amounts of water (a vet-checked nervous habit that was very severe when she first came to live with us.)

Today she lay on her side in the dog bed, relaxed. There was no alert barking. The obsessive drinking was diminished. She did bark one time at a dog on her walk, but focused on our friend when her name was spoken (and was given treats for doing so - she responded to her name and ate food, great signs.) Definitely a different, more at ease dog. I truly believe the Composure (I doubled her dose this morning) as well as the work we have been doing at the park regarding her reactions to dogs, is helping.

We are moving forward and finding our way. There is nothing so comforting as landing on your feet and moving forward with A Plan.